U.S. Navy Unveils New Logo and Tagline, “Forged by the Sea”

The U.S. Navy has unveiled a new logo and tagline as part of a new, multifaceted branding campaign aimed at attracting a new generation of recruits to the service.

The new branding campaign will be officially launched this Saturday during the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia, with the first TV commercial featuring the new material airing on CBS during the second quarter of the game.

The launch will also mark the debut of the Navy’s new tagline, “Forged by the Sea.”

“The Army-Navy game is one of the most revered and watched contests in college sports and we wanted to take advantage of this unique opportunity to introduce the new brand and tagline on an occasion where the spirit of competition and military service are being celebrated,” said Commander, Navy Recruiting Command (NRC) Rear Adm. Pete Garvin. “We’re proud and excited to be a part of such a great event.”

The game-day launch will represent just the first wave of an integrated marketing campaign that will include a steady level of advertising on digital and social media platforms during the winter, before a full rollout in March.

“The Navy is now recruiting young men and women of the Centennial Generation, who have different goals, expectations and information-gathering habits than their Millennial predecessors,” said Garvin. “As such, the Navy recognized the necessity to develop a new marketing campaign and media strategy that more effectively reach, educate and inspire the best-and-brightest prospective recruits.”

To help develop the new campaign, the Navy selected a consortium led by the global ad agency Young & Rubicam (Y&R) to create a campaign focussing on the emerging Centennial Generation – those ranging from 17 to 21-years-old. Before deciding on “Forged by the Sea” as the tagline, the marketing team considered a host of brand identities and thousands of taglines.

“Over the years, we have changed our tagline several times to capture everything our great Navy represents in just a few simple words,” said Garvin. “After much research and creative development, we emerged with a deep understanding of our organization’s purpose and potential–all of which tie back to the sea. For more than 200 years our Sailors have been tested and shaped by the sea. Our new tagline perfectly captures the transformative impact the Navy and the sea has on our Sailors.”

The Navy says the new campaign will also represent a media strategy shift for the Navy, as it will be viewed mostly on online and social media platforms.

“Traditional TV and print advertising will continue to play an important role in the media strategy, generating wide awareness of the new Navy brand and enhancing perceptions of the Navy with older influencer groups,” said Dowling. “However, with the digital shift, those with more traditional media consumption habits will see fewer Navy TV commercials and print ads than in years past. At the same time, the primary target audience will see many more Navy messages and in contexts that resonate with them and are more effective at motivating them to become a qualified Navy lead.”

The Navy’s first commercial featuring the new logo and tagline is below:

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